Yield Signs

Some drivers don't seem to realize that yield signs require them to do something laments a reader. They zoom right by and force their way into traffic as if the sign wasn't even there. Don't they realize that they can't do this?

What Yield Signs Require

The Motor Vehicle Act is very definite about what a driver must do. It says that if two vehicles approach or enter an intersection from different highways at approximately the same time and there is a yield sign, the driver of a vehicle facing the sign must yield the right of way to all other traffic.

"traffic" includes pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, cycles and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using a highway to travel;

"vehicle" means a device in, on or by which a person or thing is or may be transported or drawn on a highway, but does not include a device designed to be moved by human power, a device used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks, mobile equipment, a motor assisted cycle or a regulated motorized personal mobility device;

All Other Traffic

The key words in the last paragraph are "all other traffic." This isn't just the traffic in the lane that you are going to try to enter. Traffic includes pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, cycles and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using a highway to travel.

Be Prepared to Stop

So, when you approach a yield sign, you must be prepared to stop if necessary. Don't focus only on the vehicles in the lane you intend to enter as yield signs often occur at crosswalks. You must watch on your right for pedestrians as well.

Learn More

• Yield Signs - Section 173 Motor Vehicle Act
• Signs, Signals and Road Markings - Learn to Drive Smart

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